Thanks for the advise Kal. I am not opposed to EQ at all as I have used DEQ2496 in another system.
In my admittedly limited experience I have learned that although HT processing does improve many aspects, in the end it also affect dynamics and life in music and thats why many users just prefer to turn it off for music listening.
I have seen this being discussed here or on AA many times (often with your participation) but after experience with SC-55 I understand better where those opinions are coming from.
Imo opinion this may be related to digital attenuation which is necessary to apply EQ/processing and normalize it between all channels to present the whole as a coherent entity. Yes, in theory with 24 and 32 bit resoluton dacs it shouldn't matter that much (with all the processing power nobody truncates bits these days anyway) but I think it does.
The end result is often softer, less immediate or lively presentation which requires turning the volume up. This also is a reason for special modes like "night listening" or "dynamic volume control".
Perhaps it is a matter of implementation and price point. I have not heard Classe or Theta processors and I don't intend to as it is well beyond my budget.
I think it is reasonable to expect solid analog performance in a $2800 processor, certainly not Shindo-like purity but honest, clean and neutral sound with good dynamics. That plus some HMDI capability is what I am looking for. Does 8003 or 7005 offer that?
I have heard Oppo95 and did like it very much. Now, what do I need to get it properly preamplified?
Reviews suggest that 8003 compares favourably with pure analog Parasound mch preamp. Is there anything else in a 3k range that would do justice to 2ch and mch music?
